Report: Rockets Veteran Jeff Green Waived Trade Veto Rights

Regardless of the role, Jeff Green has proven himself valuable to the Houston Rockets franchise. Green first joined the Rockets during the 2019-20 season via buyout and became a solid addition. At the time, the Rockets had undergone an extreme makeover, sacrificing height and size for overall floor spacing, creating space in the paint for Russell Westbrook to dominate opposing bigs.

Green essentially was the Rockets' only big man, and although he was in his 13th season, he still averaged 12.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, 56.4 percent from the field, 35.4 percent from long-range, and an astonishing 68.2 percent true shooting, all in just 22.6 minutes of action. 

Green was even the Rockets' fourth-leading scorer in the opening round of the playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder, averaging 13.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. 

Green returned to the franchise in 2023, when the Rockets were once more trying to transform themselves into a contender overnight, after undergoing a three-year rebuild. This time, however, Green’s role was that of a player-coach, as Rockets coach Ime Udoka sought to bring veterans and champions to a relatively young, inexperienced Rockets locker room.

Green has spent the past two seasons in this capacity, while spelling a breather for Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. here and there.

This offseason, Green and the Rockets agreed to a new one-year $3.63 million contract that would bring him back for the upcoming 2025-26 season. One important detail in Green’s contract was pointed out by long-time league insiders Marc Stein and Keith Smith, provided courtesy of Stein's substack. 

Green waived his right to block trades.

The NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement allows players who sign one-year deals with the same team they played for in the previous season to have veto trade rights despite having a formal no-trade clause, as any trade would cause them to lose their Bird rights.

This has been coined the One-Year Bird classification.

This also applies when a player inks a two-year contract with a team or player option in the second season, which is why Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet has a no-trade clause in his new two-year, $50 million deal, as his second season includes a player option.

The likelihood of Green getting traded seems low, as his contract doesn't present much salary ballast and his better days are well behind him. In other words, it's not like teams will be beating down the door trying to acquire Green’s services.